Johnston Schools Continue Efforts to Build New High School

JOHNSTON, Iowa – There is another bump in the road for Johnston Schools as the district continues its fight to build a new high school.

Last month, the district put the project up for bid receiving only one offer that was $8 million over budget.

District leaders extended the time frame for contractors to complete a new high school from 23 to 32 months. Three lower bids came in. The lowest bid of $74.3 million is still $2 million over budget.

Superintendent Cory Lunn blames increased construction costs and contractors having no shortage of projects to choose from. However, the district does have options to make ends meet. “We’ve found some pretty unique ways to sell the bonds for the project by selling them privately that has freed up a significant amount of dollars we wouldn’t usually have available at this time,” Lunn said.

The district will host a public hearing to discuss the project on August 11. Lunn said it’s most likely the district won’t take action until a week later.